Data defines the model by dint of genetic programming, producing the best decile table.

Data Mining QuizBruce Ratner, Ph.D.

Data mining is a high-concept: having elements of fast action in its development, glamour as it stirs the imagination for the unconventional and unexpected, and a mystic that appeals to a wide audience that knows curiosity feeds human thought. Conventional wisdom (in the DM space) has it that everyone knows what data mining is. [1] Everyone does it – that’s what they say. I don’t believe it. I know that everyone talks about it; but only a small self-seeking group of data analysts genuinely do data mining. I make this empirical assertion based on my experience as a statistical modeler, data miner and genetic-analytic consultant for too many years. As a pseudo-proof of my assertion, I present a data-mining quiz. Ready to take the quiz, click here.

For more information about this article, call Bruce Ratner at 516.791.3544 or 1 800 DM STAT-1; or e-mail at br@dmstat1.com.